


May I Have This Dance?

by canonismybitch



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: 5+1 Things, Author can't dance to save her life, Author knows nothing about ballet, Ballet Dancer Peter Parker, Bisexual Peter Parker, Civil War Team Iron Man, Civil War Who?, Dancer Peter Parker, Dancing, Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Endgame who?, Fluff, Gay Ned Leeds, Gen, Getting Together, Hamilton References, High School, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, I cried while writing this, I don't know them, I made Aunt May cry, I'm sorry Auntie May, It's Ben's Anniversary, Light Angst, M/M, May Parker (Spider-Man) Needs a Hug, Mentioned Ben Parker, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Multi, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Ned Leeds Needs a Hug, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Homecoming Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter Parker Can Dance, Peter is good at giving gifts, School Dances, ballerina Natasha Romanov, musical theatre, no beta we die like women
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2020-09-23 01:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20331769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canonismybitch/pseuds/canonismybitch
Summary: 5 times Peter danced with someone, and 1 time he danced on his own.





	1. Ned

It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Peter’s neighborhood in Queens to have to listen to the Imperial March at odd times. Ned often called at 2 in the morning to keep himself (and Peter) from falling asleep while doing their homework. 

However, Peter wasn’t expecting Ned’s call today. His best friend was supposed to be at the school dance, and he’d promised Peter he’d share all the juicy details on their way to school the next day. 

(He was, understandably, worried.)

“Hey man, what’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be dancing right now?”

“Please come get me?”

Peter was out of his bed and transferring the call to his Spider-Man mask in less than five seconds.

“What happened dude? I thought you and John were having a good time.”

“I fell for it. I feel so stupid Peter, how could I be so stupid?”

“What do you mean? What did he do?”

“He set me up, man. Said he already had a date with Jessica -y’know, the cheerleader; and that he couldn’t believe I really thought he’d want to go out with me.”

Peter was going to kill him.

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Just, can you please come? I just wanna get out of here.”

“I’m on my way dude, just don’t hang up. Where are you?”

“Outside. Where no one can make fun of the fat, gay kid that thought he could get a date with one of the popular guys at school.”

“I am so going to revoke your lab privileges if I hear you say that again dude. Don’t smile, my threats are dead serious.”

“How do you even know-?”

“I’m your best friend dude. Also, turn around.”

Ned did, and came face to face with his best friend, all good-looking wearing a suit. With his brown curls all over the place and his phone in one hand, the Spider-Man mask in the other.

He ended the call.

“When did you even get that suit?” 

(He was totally ignoring the way his eyes watered. Ned had already reached his limit of crying for the night.)

“Mr. Stark got it. I’m supposed to wear it for an SI event next week, but I think this is a better ocasion.”

Ned looked at the school’s front door, then back at his best friend. He wasn’t smiling anymore.

“Please don’t make me go back there.”

Peter frowned, pocketing his mask.

“I won’t. But there’s this ice cream place that’s still open, if you don’t want to go home yet.”

“Strawberry Spider flavor?” 

Peter laughed.

“Uh, duh? I’m not a monster.”

Ned was smiling again.

\---

“You’re not stupid.”

Ned looked at him funny, finishing the last of his ice cream on his spot right next to Peter. The park across the ice cream place was surprisingly well-lit, and both had promptly taken a seat on one of the benches.

“Don’t look at me like that dude. You’re really not stupid, John’s a jerk, and he really shouldn’t have done that.”

Ned frowned, and looked away from Peter’s puppy-dog eyes. Ice cream forgotten on the wooden bench.

“I was serious before Peter. How did I really believe he’d want to go out with me? By tomorrow everyone’s gonna know and I’ll be the fat, asian kid that’s also gay. I don’t think I can handle that.”

“Ned, look at me.”

Ned did.

“You’re super smart and funny, you care about people and when you’re excited it’s the most adorable thing in the world. That’s just part of why someone would want to go out with you.”

“You say that because you’re my best friend Pete. But it doesn’t change the fact that I made a fool of myself back there. I don’t think I’ll ever go to another school dance again.”

They finished their ice cream in silence; the only noises were the cars and the electricity going through the fairy lights hung around the whole park.

“Get up.”

When Ned stayed on the bench, Peter gently took his hand and guided him up.

“Peter? What are you doing?”

Peter didn’t say anything, just dragged him under the fairy lights. He put Ned’s right hand on his shoulder, and his left around his waist. 

“Peter, what-?”

“You deserve that dance Ned. I’m giving it to you.”

Karen started playing the Star Wars soundtrack, and Peter started moving to an imaginary waltz, Ned stumbling a bit before following his best friend.

They weren’t dancing to any rhythm, and Ned stepped on Peter’s feet every three seconds. Mosquitoes flew around them by the thousand, and the cars honking made it difficult to listen to the music. 

It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Ned pressed his head to Peter’s shoulder, stepping on him again. He could feel his smile- glowing like it did when he was really happy.

“Thank you.”

Peter didn’t look at him, just carried on dancing. Ned knew he’d heard him anyways.

“You know. I’d date you.”

Ned moved so fast he got dizzy for a second. Their dancing stopped. Peter was looking at him, a shy smile replacing his previous grin.

Then, Ned smiled. He put his head back on Peter’s shoulder, and started dancing again, like he hadn’t even stopped.

“Yeah, I’d date you too.”


	2. MJ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! This chapter contains some heavy references to Hamilton: An American Musical (that I do not own) so proceed with caution.

“Hey, loser.”

MJ sat down beside Peter, throwing an apple at him while she was at it. He bit into the fruit gratefully -stupid spider metabolism-.

“Didn’t you use to dance?” Peter choked on his apple.

“Uh, yeah? Five years ago. Why?” She handed him a crumpled piece of paper.

“Go to this address after decathlon practice.” Then she left, remind Peter of a ninja. He shrugged, pocketing the paper and taking another bite of his apple.

* * *

Peter came face to face with a dance studio. He stood rooted to the floor in front of the door for maybe five minutes before he heard MJ’s footsteps.

She took his hand and dragged him inside the studio, all wooden floors, and large mirrors. Peter felt 10 years old again, looking around a mirror-filled room in his first dance lesson. He felt a smile appear without his consent, but he let it be. It had been quite some time since he had last stepped foot inside a dance studio.

MJ gave him a tour of the place, showing him equipment he had forgotten how to use. Finally, they stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Peter looked at their reflection, and he frowned.

“MJ, why did you bring me here?”    
  


She sighed and got a poster out of her school bag.

“There’s a presentation in two weeks, and it’s kind of a big deal. My partner quit on me, and as much as I don’t like it, I need your help, Peter.” She was calling him Peter, instead of her usual nicknames. That had never happened before, it made him smile.

Taking the poster from her hands, he looked at MJ in the eye.

“Do you have a choreography yet?”

He knew he had made the right choice when her eyes lit up, and MJ gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder.

“Come back here after school tomorrow. Clothes you’re comfortable in, and bring a water bottle. You’re gonna be pretty tired when we’re done.”

* * *

The next two weeks flew in a flurry of school, patrol, and dancing. Peter was tired and sore all the time, but he couldn’t say he didn’t like it. It was different from the soreness he got after a night patrolling Queens, this felt better. It felt like home.

MJ was an amazing choreographer, and if the whole journalism thing didn’t work out for her, Peter was sure she wouldn’t have any problems getting a job. Her movements were graceful, like a rose petal moving through the wind. She looked genuinely happy when she danced, it was a look Peter wasn’t accustomed to see.

The song she had chosen was actually a mix of Hamilton’s musical -only, without the lyrics. Peter had laughed when he first listened to it. MJ hadn’t been surprised he had recognized the music. 

(She had also called him a nerd, but the nickname was so fond that he let it pass. MJ kept calling him a nerd, though.)

The night of the presentation, Peter paced nervously backstage while MJ finished getting ready. Their outfits were a modern take on the ones from the actual Broadway Musical, and he absolutely loved them. They made him feel confident, but listening to all the people cheering on the dancers on-stage made him go back to his nervous pacing.

He stopped when MJ tapped him on the shoulder. Peter turned around to look at his best friend wearing a pale blue dress so simple, that it looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was out of her usual ponytail, resting on her shoulders. He had never seen MJ in a dress. She looked  _ really _ nice, but a part of him disliked it. This wasn’t the MJ he knew, that wore baggy T-shirts and yoga pants to dance practice. 

Then, she smiled, took his hand and had him to a little twirl, like the ones she usually did when finishing a song. He smiled back.

“You’ll do fine, Nerd. I trust you.”

He stood still for a second, processing the compliment when a man dressed all in black with a STAFF printed on the front of his shirt told them to go get ready.

He was back to (internally) freaking out.

* * *

Their routine told Hamilton and Eliza’s love story. Of course, they had changed some of the choreography since they were only two, with no ensemble behind their backs. 

MJ moved through the stage, her whole body singing “Helpless” without the need for any lyrics. When the song changed to “Stay Alive” they separated, Peter going to the other side of the stage.

It wasn’t long until the song changed to “That Would Be Enough” when they danced together again. The public watched MJ beg him to stay, while he danced a mix of getting further from her, and then close again. At one point, when he left her side, the song changed once again. “Say No to This” blasted on the auditorium’s speakers, and now everyone watched as Peter danced with an invisible woman, MJ’s moves were done with her back to Peter’s, telling the story of a mother playing with her son.

They’re dancing together again, “Burn” filling everyone’s ears. Her dance is angry. She’s hurt and betrayed, and she’s making sure not only Peter but everyone else watching, know that. His own dancing is apologetic, regret fills his every move, but in the end, MJ dances alone on the other side of the stage.

The music stops, and for a second it looks like the public wants to clap, and then “Stay Alive, Reprise” stops them in their tracks. A son that they cannot see dies on stage, and before anyone can really process what they had seen, the song changes again.

“It’s Quiet Uptown” has Peter dancing alone. MJ stays in a corner of the stage, in what some may mistake as a crouch, grieving without dancing or saying anything.

And then Peter’s by her side, taking her hand and getting her to stand up. He guides her through a waltz that reminds him so much of that night with Ned, but no-one knows that. To everyone else, it’s the first time since they danced to “Helpless” that they have  _ actually _ danced together.

And then the song is changing again, “The World Was Wide Enough” a sad melody that has Peter lying down on the wooden floor of the stage. MJ fluttering across the same floor like a sad petal, so very different from the first time he saw her dance.

Finally, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” can be heard throughout the stage. MJ dances with an invisible George Washington, and when her time is up, and she’s done enough; when she can’t wait to see Peter again, she takes his hand. She takes his hand and helps him get up just like he did to her not five minutes ago. 

The music stops, and they take a bow.

* * *

MJ’s family is waiting for them backstage. Her little sister has a bouquet of pink roses in her tiny hands, and Peter has never seen her so happy. 

And then Ned is in front of him, pushing a single red rose into his hands and kissing him. Peter kisses him back and gives him a hug.

Tony and May are behind him, and Peter has never seen them look so proud. They both give him a hug, and then they give MJ a white rose. 

The moment’s not broken, not even when Ned starts chatting their ears off, but his excitement is palpable and adorable, and Peter can’t help but kiss him again.

The moment’s not broken when MJ calls them both dorks and tells Peter that they have to go change.

It’s not broken when the director of the dance studio offers him a spot, a way for him to never stop dancing.

It’s not broken when Tony takes them all, including MJ’s family, out for dinner at a small restaurant hidden between a library and a grocery store.

Peter still feels the applause ringing in his sensitive ears. Still feels like he’s taking a bow.


	3. May

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three is up! And much sooner than chapter two was, hehehe.  
Anyways, guys I live for comments. If you liked it, saw any typo (English is not my first language sorry), or anything that can be improved please tell me! Since this is my first work for this fandom I kinda need to know if you like it :(
> 
> Also, there is some mention of alcohol in this chapter. It's pure angst, mostly hurt, little comfort (My contribution to Whumptober). No, May is not alcoholic, but if it makes you uncomfortable in any way, please don't read. Stay safe!

Ben’s anniversary always hits them hard. Peter doesn’t go to school, instead, he goes patrolling all day. May either calls in sick or takes extra shifts in Pediatrics. But this year is the first anniversary after the Snap, and neither of them is coping. May lost her nephew for five years. Five years that she had to mourn not just Ben, but Peter too. Peter was dead for five years, trapped inside the soul stone, and he remembers. Remembers skies that never changed color, always the same sunset orange that he grew to hate. Remembers all the people breaking down over being dead. Remembers living with all the Avengers that were dusted alongside him.

He remembers, but no-one else does. And when he had come back, it had been to another battlefield where he had almost lost Tony.

So no. They weren’t coping.

Peter had woken up the morning of Ben’s anniversary with a killer headache, usually a sign of a sensory overload. He had powered through it and had made breakfast for both him and May. She had come out of her room with red, puffy eyes and one of Ben’s jackets draped over her shoulders. Still, May had smiled at the chocolate chip pancakes and then had hugged Peter.

Her skin had felt too rough on his, her hair too pointy, her breathing too loud. He didn’t care. They stood there, hugging until the pancakes went cold.

When they finished breakfast, Peter made popcorn while May put Criminal Minds on their TV. That was their new tradition when they were both home: cop shows.

Ben had been a cop.

Aunt and nephew ate popcorn and drank soda, watching actors play cops and save the day, catching the bad guys. They skipped lunch and only turned the TV off when they finished the whole season. Then Peter went to take a shower, snatching one of the super-Tylenol pills Tony had made for him.

When he came out, squeaky-clean and with a more manageable headache, he found May drinking red wine from a paper cup. She had opened the bottle when Peter had gone for his shower, he had heard the cork as May tried to get it out of the bottle.

From what Peter could see, she had already downed two cups and was almost done with the third. Tissue paper littered the kitchen table, and even though May tried to hide it, his ears caught her sobs easily.

Instead of going to his aunt, he went to her room. Five minutes later, he came out with Ben’s old radio. May downed a fourth paper cup in the time it took Peter to find a radio station. With the host speaking in the background, Peter took the wine bottle and paper cup from May’s hands, throwing both in the trash. 

May cried when he took her hand and guided her to the living room. He moved the couch, the sofa, and the coffee table to make room for the both of them. May hadn’t moved from where Peter had left her. A song started playing on the radio, Peter recognized it from the videos they had of May and Ben’s wedding. That was their first waltz.

May started sobbing harder, but Peter took her hand, guiding her to the center of the room, and hugged her. Then, he started to dance.

He was dancing for the both of them, May didn’t seem to want to move. He danced through the whole living room, doing little twirls with May from time to time. When the song’s chorus started, May adjusted herself and started dancing with Peter.

They were both crying, their sobs almost as loud as the music, but they didn’t stop dancing. Not even when the song was over, and the radio host presented another one. Not even when both their eyes were so blurry with tears that they kept stepping on each other. 

Peter didn’t know for how long they danced, but at one point, they weren’t dancing anymore, they were sitting on the floor, hugging.

“Thank you.” May whispered in his ear. It was the first time they had spoken in the day.

“I’m so, so sorry Aunt May.” he whispers back. His voice breaks, and he knows that it wouldn’t be louder even if he tried.

_ I’m sorry I couldn’t save him. _

_ I’m sorry he’s gone. _

_ I’m sorry it’s my fault. _

_ I’m sorry you two can’t dance anymore. _

_ I’m sorry. _

May looked at him, rubbing her thumb against his cheek, catching a tear in the process.

“I know baby. I know.” She hugs him, and her small frame shakes with the force of Peter’s sobs. May doesn’t mind.

_ I know you blame yourself. _

_ I know you’re sorry. _

_ I know it’s not your fault. _

_ I know you tried to save him. _

_ I know I can dance with you. _

_ I know he’d want me to dance with you. _

The radio’s still playing.


	4. Nat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spider Mom chapter! I love their relationship and you can pry it from my cold, dead hands. Spiders stick together.  
Kind of short (and super late, I'm so sorry guys) but I really liked this chapter, and I hope you like it too.

Peter liked to explore. He was a curious guy, and in his defense, the Tower was really big and really interesting. He had already discovered everything he could about the lower floors and labs, and now he was going for the living quarters. 

So far, he was only missing Natasha’s. She had been on an undercover mission in Greece and had just gotten back the night before. Peter made a point to explore the living quarters when the Avenger that lived there was around. One thing he didn’t want was to see something someone else didn’t want to see.

So he waited until Nat came back from her mission to start exploring her floor. He started in the kitchen, where he discovered an unusually large amount of hot chocolate and mini-marshmallows. He decided right then and there that he liked Nat even more.

Then he went to the living room, where he found pictures of her and Tony, Clint and his kids, Nat, and Bruce playing a game of chess (he guessed that FRIDAY had taken that one), pictures with all the Avengers and even a picture with Peter.

He didn’t go to her room, instead, his sensitive ears picked up music coming from down the hall and he went to investigate. He found Nat doing ballet warm-ups in the clothes she usually wore to training, her hair up in a tight bun. When she saw his reflection in one of the many mirrors that took up the walls, she stopped what she was doing and turned around to look at him.

“Hey, spider-baby.” She motioned at him to go inside, and he did, cautiously.

“Hey, Nat. How was your mission?” She smiled, the secret smile she reserved for him.

“Boring. I’d rather spend my time with my spider-kid.” 

He smiled back, and then took his time to look around the room. It was quite similar to the dance studio he and MJ went to every Monday and Wednesday, but smaller. And the floor was a lighter color. He liked it.

“I didn’t know we had a dance studio in the tower.”

“Tony did it for me, the week after I told him that I used to be a ballerina. It was really late, and I thought he’d forget about it the next morning. Imagine my surprise when he drags me here a week later, and there’s a red bow on the door.”

Peter giggled.

“Yeah, that sounds like Tony.”

They went back to a comfortable silence, FRIDAY playing the Swan Lake as background music.

“You know, a little birdie told me that you used to do ballet.” Peter startled.

“How did y–? Nevermind, you’re a super-spy.” She just smiled, waiting for an answer. Peter sighs, and starts walking around to avoid looking at her.

“It was a couple years ago. I had to quit when I got into Midtown ‘cause we couldn’t afford it anymore. Though now that I’m going to dance classes with MJ I kinda realize that I missed ballet.”

Peter finally looks up and sees Nat staring at him as if he were a kicked puppy –and he gets that look often, but Nat had never done it before– before she asked FRIDAY to up the volume. 

“You wanna dance  _ паук _ ?”

She was a super-spy. She already knew the answer.

He still said yes.

They went through choreographies Peter didn’t even know he remembered –like when he’s watching a movie with Tony and then he finds himself mumbling the dialogues– until his feet touched the floor and then they were in the air without his brain really noticing. It reminded him of the dance competition with MJ when he had compared her to a rose petal moving through the wind. He was that rose petal now, and he was absolutely loving it.

By the end of the dance, Peter’s feet hurt and he felt kind of dizzy, but he still looked at Natasha with his puppy eyes –the pure image of happiness, as if a dog were wagging his tail and panting after a run–, and her heart melted a little bit. She was panting too, and FRIDAY politely suggested they take a shower.

Nat wasn’t waiting for him when he got out, but there was a quarter of cookie dough ice cream with a pink post-it almost falling off.

_ Fridays from 5 to 6. Bring a towel паук, and enjoy your ice cream. _

Friday became Spider Mom days after that.


	5. Tony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait! First semester of college kicked my ass. But I'm back with more! This chapter turned out to be more Tony-centric than I had first thought, but I'm really happy with it. Thanks for sticking with me for so long, and I promise to get the last chapter in less than a month.

Peter made his way to Tony’s lab with a smile on his face and a birthday card in his hand. Ever since he had been eight years old, May 29 had been Iron-Man Day for him, and he lit a candle in a red velvet cupcake while he sang Happy Birthday to his hero. This year was no different, except for the fact that he could give the cupcake to his mentor instead of eating it for dinner. Happy had eyed his birthday cupcake and card, but in the end hadn’t said a thing, so Peter guessed everything was fine (though with his Parker luck, Tony would end up being allergic to cupcakes or something). 

He expected the compound to be filled with balloons and serpentines, but it looked the same as always, sadder than usual even. Tony Stark was not celebrating his birthday, and his Spidey Sense buzzed uncomfortably, not warning him of danger, just telling him something was wrong. Friday let him into the lab, automatically lowering the music so as not to hurt his sensitive ears. Tony immediately turned around, smiling at him. His eyes then fell on the cupcake and card in his hands, his smile widened.

“Is that for me kid?”

Suddenly, Peter wasn’t so sure about the red velvet cupcake.

“Uh, yeah. It’s kinda stupid actually. I get one every year on your birthday, figured I could actually give it to you this year.”

Peter was blushing, there was no doubt about it, he could feel his cheeks get warmer by the millisecond.

“If you don’t like it, I can just go-” Tony chuckled, before taking the cupcake and eating half of it in just one bite.

“Or, you can take it. Yep, that’s fine too.” His mentor just ruffled his hair.

\---

Well after the cupcake was gone and the card read (and Peter guessed that he’d find it framed some time next week) they were both working on the Spider-Man suit, though Pepper would probably be over soon to scold them for missing lunch. 

“Mr. Stark? Why aren’t you celebrating?” Tony almost dropped the screwdriver. 

“What do you mean, kid?” As if he didn’t already know.

“It’s just… it’s your birthday! And, and there’s no balloons, or cake, nothing! Why aren’t you celebrating?”

Tony shook his head slightly, leaving his tools on the table, where Peter had left his five minutes ago. Then, he leaned on the worktable, and it occurred to Peter that Mr. Stark wasn’t as young as he had been when he first became Iron Man. His hair was starting to fill with specks of white, and he often complained about his back, sometimes even had to grab onto something when he got up from the floor. His mentor was getting old. 

“Well, kid, Rhodey, Happy and Pepper are taking me out for dinner, and I actually wanted to ask you to tag along. You’re family, and I planned on celebrating with family.” 

Tony said that with a smile, but Peter could only think about how his voice broke. This was Tony’s first birthday without the Avengers, and it showed, and Peter felt  _ so _ angry at them because  _ how dare they  _ ruin the king of parties, the master of all celebration? How dare they ruin their  _ friend _ ?

Peter went to dinner anyway, plastering a smile on his face while thinking of a million ways to break Steve Rogers’ nose, and a million more ways to make him regret ever hurting Tony. He didn’t say any of that at dinner though, instead, he talked about the car he and Tony were fixing in the lab, talked about dance classes with MJ, about the movie he and Ned had seen on their last date, and about the scrambled eggs that May had managed to burn that morning. 

Half-way through dinner, Nat showed up with a bottle of whiskey and a shiny purple cube that had come from her last mission to Morocco (Pepper hadn't looked very amused at that). Tony looked happy with his family having dinner at a fancy Italian place, and if Peter hadn’t been closely watching his mentor all day, he wouldn’t have noticed the minute frowns and zoning outs. So he came up with a plan.

Four days later, Tony went into the elevator with all the intention of working on Peter’s web fluid in the lab, instead, Friday took him to the common floor.

“Friday, do I have to reprogram you again? I said go to the lab.”

_ My apologies Boss, but I cannot take you to the lab. Mr. Parker’s orders. _

Tony shook his head, what was his kid up to?

“Oh really? And what does Peter want me to do in the common floor Fri?”

_ You will find the first of three presents on one of the couches. You are required to bring it with you to the remaining two locations. _

His kid got him into a treasure hunt. Incredible. Still, suppressing a chuckle Tony made his way to the couches where a folded note awaited him. 

“Use this and I’ll get Pepper out of all her meetings. Get you two a day for yourselves ;)”

The billionaire outright laughed, before pocketing the note.

“That kid is something else. Where to now Fri?”

_ Your second present can be found in your room, in the drawer where you keep your watches and ties. _

And so, Tony moved to his room walking straight towards the designated drawer. When he opened it, it revealed a Spider-Man plushie with a blue post-it attached:

“Figured you had enough Iron Man plushies, plus, this one I made myself.”

It really looked like it was made by Peter, some stitches were further apart from others, some were a different color from when Peter had clearly run out of thread, the eyes of the mask were uneven and some of the fabric was stained with what Tony guessed was ketchup. It was the best plushie Tony had ever seen. 

_ Boss, your last present can be found in the rooftop. _

So Tony went to the rooftop.

Peter was waiting for him, sat on a checkered blanket. Two glasses filled with brown liquid (that Tony hoped was apple juice) were right beside him, and Friday’s speakers were playing Tony’s Spotify playlist. 

“Got your gifts kid. What’s going on?” Peter patted the spot beside him on the blanket, and Tony obligingly went to join him. 

“That glass over there is whiskey by the way.” And at Tony’s meaningful look, he added: “Don’t worry, mine’s apple juice, though I don’t really think I can get drunk.” Tony sputtered.

“Does that mean you’ve tried?” Peter just laughed, and that in itself answered Tony.

No one talked for a while, ACDC filling the silence (or as much silence they could have in the middle of New York City at night).

“Why did you do all of this Pete?”

“On your birthday… I just wanted to give you a gift, or well, three. It’s just that I can’t let you be miserable because of Steve Rogers. That day you weren’t happy, and I want to change that, they’ve taken enough from you, and they keep taking and taking –I’m supposed to be a superhero, and I couldn’t even help you with them.”

_ This kid, wanting to fix everything and everyone.  _

He went to hug his kid, and Peter returned the hug.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped or something, I just… I don’t want you to be sad anymore.” 

His mentor let go, grabbing his shoulders softly.

“So, what was that last surprise Friday told me about? By the way, you turned my AI against me Spiderling, how did you even do that?”

Peter laughed, standing up from his place on the blanket. As if on cue (which, Tony realized, probably was) Friday turned up the music’s volume.

“Well, you always did say that you never saw me dance. Show me your moves old man.”

Tony laughed, standing up glass of whiskey in hand. And he danced with his son, below the New York City night sky devoid of starlight, with chilly air all around them and the honking cars 99 floors away. Danced to music that was just meant to be listened to, that wasn’t nearly high enough because Friday was programmed with low volumes so as not to hurt Peter’s sensitive ears. 

“If I break my hip, you’re carrying me down to the medbay, kid.”

“Whatever you say, old man.”

Tony danced like he would have danced back in college, like he danced with Rhodey in frat parties and their graduation. Tony didn’t need Steve, he had Peter, and he had Pepper, and Rhodey, and Happy, and Nat. 

Tony had his family, and he was happy.

So he danced.


	6. Peter

“I lost the kid.”

He had lost his kid. Lost Peter. Lost his son. And the team wanted him to join them and attack Thanos.

Holograms flickered in front of them with the faces of the millions of people they had lost to Thanos. Peter’s face.

_ Boss, I have a file available for your watch. Codename: Underoos. _

Tony froze, and so did the others. He felt the unmistakable weight of Rhodey’s hand on his shoulder, a lifeline that kept him from spiraling into what could very well be an anxiety attack.

_ Boss? _

He said it before his brain could catch up with his mouth.

“Show me, Fri.”

_ Immediately, Peter’s room at the Tower stared back at him, and then he saw his kid holding a broom. Then his kid started to dance to what Tony thought was Beyoncé, sweeping the floor unevenly as he lifted this broom every now and then to hold it like an old-fashioned microphone. When the song was over, Peter’s room looked even messier than when he had started to “clean” it. _

Rhodey chuckled behind him. 

_ A video taken from May’s phone appeared next on the screen. Peter had to be 7 years old, and he stood in the centre of a stage, a banner in bright blue letters that said “TALENT COMPETITION 2008” above him. And then his kid started to dance a four-minute-long choreography with some of the most complicated steps Tony had ever seen a 7-year-old perform. The recording had a horrifyingly small amount of pixels, and you couldn’t listen to the music because May was cheering on her little boy really loudly, her excitement sometimes made her cover the phone’s camera with her thumb. He still couldn’t be more proud of his kid. _

By the time little Peter’s talent show was over, the other Avengers had tried (and failed) to inconspicuously step closer to watch Peter’s videos. Tony let them think they had succeeded in their task.

_ “Mr. Stark! You won’t believe what happened today!” _

_ Peter had entered his lab running, almost crashing into Dum-E and waving a poster frantically in the air. _

_ “I have a feeling you’re gonna tell me anyways, Underoos. Out with it.” _

_ “Ned’s taking me to a dancing exhibition tomorrow afternoon! Look, here’s the poster!” _

_ Sure enough, there was a dancing exhibition the next day in Queens. Tony cooed, _

_ “Awww, so it’s date night tomorrow, kid?” _

_ Peter blushed, snatching the poster from Tony, who was trying really hard not to laugh. The kid was just too cute. _

_ “Technically, it’s not at night and we haven’t even established the week for date night. But yeah, it’s a date.” _

Tony remembered that day, he had received a text message from Peter at 5:00 pm. It was a selfie of him and Ned, and Peter had one of Ned’s hats on his head (it had been too big, so it looked so cute on his protegé) while his boyfriend kissed him on the cheek. There had been a bunch of blurry people dancing in the background, all of them teenagers. That selfie had become Peter’s contact picture.

_ Friday changed the video again. Now it was Peter in the Compound’s gym, all work-out clothes and sweaty face. There was a small holo-screen in front of him that he was using to video-chat with MJ. _

_ “...and then maybe we can skip over the whole Cabinet Battles and go straight to Take a Break. I can probably get Ned’s help to edit the audio.” _

Peter looked like a human golden retriever, dancing on his feet and making big gestures with his hands. MJ for once looked amused instead of her usual monotone expression. From the video, Tony would’ve guessed that she was in the dance studio where they had rehearsed their Hamilton show.

_ The video changed again to Peter alone in his living room in the Queens apartment. Tony recognized what he was wearing as his “ballet clothes”. The sofas  _ _ and coffee table had been pushed to the sides, and he was coming up with a choreography all on his own; twirling and spinning all around the room, jumping over Legos and stray shoes. _

“I recognize that choreography. He taught it to me a month ago.” Natasha’s voice trembled, and Tony didn’t need to turn around to know that she was crying.

_ “Friday, does Mr. Stark know how to dance?” _

Certainly, Peter. I can show you video if you want.

_ “Oh, you’re definitely showing me those later. But right now, I need your help with something. First of all, don’t let Mr. Stark to his lab tomorrow…” _

“Tony?” That was Steve.

“Will you help us?”

_ “And then I’m gonna hide the plushie, you have to make sure he finds it…” _

“Tony.”

The inventor looked right into Steve’s eyes.

_ “... and I’ll be waiting on the roof. Got it, Fri?” _

“Fine, Capsicle. I’m in.”

_ “Y’know, Fri, I’ve always wanted to dance with Mr. Stark.” _

“I’m getting my kid back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can bet that after this, they found Thanos (thanks to Tony's help because he is awesome like that) and Thor got to go for the head. Then Carol snapped and everyone came back. Yes, by now you've probably guessed that May's chapter happens after this. Also, I'm sorry for the angst.  
On another note, this is officially the very first multi-chapter story I've ever finished!!!! Thank you so much for sticking with me for this 6 chapters, and stay tuned for more IronDad content coming soon! Next up is a Sevice Dog AU that I've been planning (and researching) for this past few months.  
Again, to every one of you that are reading this, thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so this is my first work for this fandom, but you'll see more of me for a long time because Peter Parker is my precious son and I love him.
> 
> Come scream at me on Tumblr! @canonismybitch


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